The Iowa men’s basketball team defeated Quincy, 103-76, in its first and only exhibition game of the season at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. In a contest that was essentially decided at halftime, all four Hawkeye first-year players got significant minutes together on the floor in the second half, giving the Black and Gold faithful a glimpse of the future on the hardwood.
“They’ve been terrific since day one, there hasn’t been much difference,” Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery said in his postgame press conference. “Those guys can all make plays for each other. They all have a sense of toughness.”
The Hawkeyes started off cold, going 0-for-4 from the field, including 0-for-3 from deep until senior guard Tony Perkins broke the ice with a dunk with 17:03 remaining in the first half. Even after registering a notch on the scoreboard, Iowa still found themselves down, 16-6, with 14:57 remaining in the first half, as Quincy’s Zion Richardson piled up seven points, including hitting a three-pointer while drawing a foul.
Hawkeye forward and Valpariasio transfer Ben Krikke attributed this slow start to simply not being ready, something he said is “atypical” for the Hawkeyes this season.
“We weren’t as locked in as we should’ve been, and that’s who this group has been [so far this year],” Krikke said. “I don’t know if we took [Quincy] for granted or whatnot, but we just came up flap. I don’t expect that moving forward.”
Over the next two minutes, Iowa went on a 12-6 run to bring the Hawkeyes within three, before first-year Pryce Sandfort hit the Hawkeyes’ first three-pointer of the game to even the scoring at 21 apiece.
Then, a near 90 seconds later, the Waukee, Iowa, native hit another three from the top of the key, giving the Hawkeyes their first lead of the contest.
“It felt really good to make the first couple in the first game here,” Sandfort said. “I was hoping I wouldn’t have any struggles in the new arena. I got in there and was just confident in my stroke.”
After gaining the advantage, Iowa relinquished the lead just once more in the first half, outscoring the Hawks, 43-16 in the last 15 minutes of the half and taking a 17-point lead into the break.
Scoring nine points off of 10 Quincy turnovers, Iowa led an up-tempo offense guided by six buckets on the fast break. Sandfort’s older brother, third-year Payton, led the Hawkeyes in scoring with 11 points at the break. Along with Payton Sandfort, three other Hawkeyes closed out the period with a double-digit plus-minus rating, among them Perkins, Krikke, and senior forward Patrick McCaffery.
On the defensive end, the Hawkeyes racked up four steals and two blocks, holding the Hawks to 34 percent shooting from the field.
After getting outgained on the glass, 6-3, to begin the contest, Iowa finished the opening period with a 23-19 advantage in the rebounding department, including four apiece from Hawkeye guards Dasonte Bowen and Josh Dix. The duo is listed at 6-foot-2 and 6-foot-5, respectively.
While Bowen started the contest and finished with six points and six boards, Dix played just one minute less than his roommate, piling up 10 points and no turnovers.
“They both deserve to start,” Fran McCaffery said of the pair. “I talked to them yesterday … and I just said, ‘Hey, I don’t want to pit one against the other. You guys just hoop when you’re out there.'”
The second half proved more of the same for Iowa, which started off hot with six points on the fast break. Up, 63-48, with about 14 minutes to play in the period, Fran McCaffery subbed in first-year guard Brock Harding and fellow rookie forward Owen Freeman. That pair joined sophomore Josh Dix, Pryce Sandfort, as well as first-year Ladji Dembele on the court for almost 10 minutes in the second half.
Dix said he had been running with that unit during practice leading up to the game, explaining how the first-year players would often turn to him when they had questions about offensive plays and defensive schemes.
The group outscored their opponents, 24-18, during that stretch, complete with plenty of highlight plays. Harding found Freeman, his former teammate at Moline High School, for two with a behind-the-back bounce pass on the left block. Miller, listed at 6-foot-10 and 230 pounds, also made plays for himself, such as when he snagged a steal along the arc and took the ball to the rim for a cross-court dunk.
Dembele, a graduate of St. Benedict’s Prep in New Jersey, turned heads with a swat of Quincy guard Orlando Thomas, sending the ball into the courtside seats.
Krikke said he wasn’t surprised about Dembele’s rejection, adding he was on the receiving end for some of the first-year’s blocks during practice.
Dembele and Freeman later connected on another dunk, with Freeman sealing off his defender in the post for an easy jam.
Calling Dembele a “defense anchor” and Pryce Sandfort “a sharpshooter,” Dix said he has only seen the group of first-years grow and become more self-aware in their abilities.
“When they first got here, like I said, they were kind of raw, but I’ve seen their confidence grow,” he said. “I’m confident in each and every one of them. Their ability, I’ve seen it every day in practice, what they can do, and what they can provide for this team. I think they’ll be a big piece going forward.”
After subbing in veterans and later emptying the bench, Iowa went on a 17-6 over the last 4:53 minutes of regulation to take home the victory.
